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Narratives of Nothing: Storying the Unlived Life
No full textThis book explores how episodes of ‘nothing’, or lost experience, shape accounts of self-identity. What is the most important thing that is not in your life? We tell stories about absent people, missed opportunities, things we yearn or wish for and events that never happened. These negative phenomena hold special meanings in memory and imagination, and can have a deep emotional impact. They help us to understand who we are in relation to who we are not - our alternate, impossible selves and journeys to non-becoming. Using micro-sociological theories and the method of narrative inquiry, Susie Scott shows how people perform ‘reverse biographical identity work’ to make sense of their unlived lives. With illustrative data from 195 research participants, the author identifies five types of narrative tale: passionate, enduring, transgressive, counterfactual and reflexive. These storytelling practices reveal fascinating insights into unexplored personal worlds.For copyright reasons, only Chapter 2: "Passionate tales: love and work" is available for immediate access. </p
Staphylococcal and streptococcal infections
No full textStaphylococci and streptococci are leading causes of healthcare- and community-acquired bacterial infections worldwide. Within each genus, virulent species such as Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes and Streptococcus pneumoniae are associated with diverse syndromes of superficial infection, invasive infection and exotoxin production. Within each genus, less virulent species such as coagulase-negative staphylococci and viridans streptococci are common harmless human commensals but are frequently cultured from clinical samples. For these organisms, differentiating opportunistic infection from contamination is a major diagnostic challenge. Infections caused by these species are typically associated with prosthetic material, and increasing use of implanted medical devices has led to their rising importance as pathogens. Medically important staphylococcal species such as S. aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis are frequently resistant to commonly used antibiotics. Clinicians should have a sound understanding of how staphylococci and streptococci cause the clinical syndromes they do and how they are treated.</p
Slipping through the net: a qualitative study exploring women's experiences of maternity in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic
No full textBackground: The quality of maternity experiences impacts the health and wellbeing of both the mother and baby. Widespread changes were made to maternity care and social support during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK, altering the usual experience of pregnancy, birth and postnatal care. Remote care appointments and hospital/home visiting restrictions affected the extent to which women could receive medical, social, and emotional support. The aim of this study was to explore women’s experiences of pregnancy, birth, and the postnatal period during the COVID-19 pandemic in South East England.Methods: In-depth interviews were conducted with 12 participants who had given birth during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were recruited from mother and baby groups and data were analysed thematically.Results: Women felt isolated and under-supported during the perinatal period. This was most noted in the postnatal wards by women who experienced immobilisation and pain following caesarean section. Reported positive experiences were improved opportunity to bond with their child and avoidance of undue external child-rearing pressures and pregnancy-related negative stories. Telemedicine was considered useful for some participants, and felt unsafe for others. Innovative use of social media to share up-to-date information improved crucial communication.Conclusions: Changes in staffing and visiting restrictions contributed to unsatisfactory experiences at home and on postnatal wards. The study highlights shortcomings in pandemic maternity services, and the importance of planning for future critical incidents, to promote positive maternal and child health outcomes. Telemedicine and social media have the potential to improve care and foster a sense of community in maternity services, however, further evaluation to ensure safety is needed.</p
Chronic heart failure in adults: diagnosis and management—summary of updated NICE guidance
No full textOffer four classes of medicine (angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors, beta blockers, mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists, and sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors) for treating heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, and consider these medicines for patients with heart failure with mildly reduced ejection fraction.Consider intravenous iron for patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction who have a haemoglobin of less than 150 g per litre and iron deficiency.Consider sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists for patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.</p
Data for research paper: Temporal development of peripheral neuroinflammation in whiplash-associated disorder grade II and its role in chronicity
No full textData for paper appearing in ‘Pain’. February 2026.Data is arranged by figure, with each Excel tab corresponding to a different figure. It includes global recovery question percent scores (Figure 1), temporal changes (acute phase and at six month follow-up) in pain and neck disability (Figure 2), MRI T2-signal ratios for the C5-C8 roots of the brachial plexus (Figure 3) and C5-C8 dorsal root ganglia (Figure 4), and the median nerve at the carpal tunnel (Figure 5) in whiplash-associated disorder grade 2 (WADII) participants. It also includes temporal changes in heightened nerve trunk mechanosensitivity (Figure 6) and blood serum concentrations of inflammatory mediators (Figure 8), and measures of recovery for the main WADII cohort (Figure 9). Data for the regression analysis are included (Tables 2 and 3). For figures 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 9, and Tables 2 and 3, each row represents data from the same participant.AbstractWhiplash injuries cause considerable pain and disability. Most individuals are diagnosed with whiplash-associated disorder grade II (WADII), which is defined by the absence of frank nerve injury. However, studies indicate possible peripheral neuroinflammation in some individuals with WADII that may contribute to symptoms. The temporal changes of peripheral neuroinflammation in WADII remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the course of peripheral neuroinflammation from acute to chronic stages and assess whether neuroinflammation in the acute stage predicts recovery 6 months postinjury. Sixty-two WADII participants, who were examined within 4 weeks of a whiplash injury, returned for a follow-up appointment at 6 months. Thirty-two percent (n = 20) of participants considered themselves to be all better at 6 months based on a global recovery question. Magnetic resonance imaging T2-weighted signal ratio of the C5 to C8 roots of the brachial plexus, associated dorsal root ganglia, and median nerve, were similar at both time points. Signs of heightened nerve mechanosensitivity reduced significantly at 6 months, as did mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia in the upper limb. Inflammatory mediator serum levels were unaltered at 6 months, except for tumour necrosis factor-α, which was reduced. Multivariable regression analysis indicated that heightened nerve mechanosensitivity (reduced elbow range of motion) in the acute stage was weakly prognostic for neuropathic pain classification at 6 months. Although many participants recovered at 6 months, the data show that peripheral neuroinflammation may persist in some individuals. These findings highlight the complexity of WADII and the contribution of neuroinflammation in both acute and chronic stages.</p
Twin transitions and systemic ecocide: revisiting Jevons in the era of digitalised global value chains
No full textDigital technologies are widely promoted as catalysts of a “twin transition” that can simultaneously boost competitiveness and reduce the environmental harm caused by global value chains (GVCs). This article deploys a political ecology approach to frame the contemporary digital–GVC nexus through Jevons’ paradox: efficiency gains that lower unit costs tend to expand aggregate output. It advances the concept of systemic ecocide to describe the slow, cumulative, and predictable destruction of ecosystems that follows from technoeconomic expansion under competitive accumulation. The analysis shows how digital technologies enabled the rise of modern supply chains, intensify extraction, and deepen environmental burdens across the lifecycle—production, use, and post-use e-waste. The conclusion outlines research and policy agendas that shift from efficiency to sufficiency, pair digital innovation with binding thresholds, and prioritise democratic control over infrastructure scale.</p
Explanation of the seasonal variation of cosmic multiple muon events observed with the NOvA Near Detector
No full textThe flux of cosmic ray muons at the Earth’s surface exhibits seasonal variations due to changes in the temperature of the atmosphere affecting the production and decay of mesons in the upper atmosphere. Using 1473 live days of data collected by the NuMI Off-axis νe Appearance (NOvA) Near Detector during 2018–2022, we studied the seasonal pattern in the multiple-muon event rate. The data confirm an anticorrelation between the multiple-muon event rate and effective atmospheric temperature, consistent across all the years of data. Previous analyses from MINOS and NOvA saw a similar anticorrelation but did not include an explanation. We find that this anticorrelation is driven by altitude–geometry effects as the average muon production height changes with the season. This has been studied with a CORSIKA cosmic ray simulation package by varying atmospheric parameters, and provides an explanation to a longstanding discrepancy between the seasonal phases of single and multiple-muon events.</p
Decolonizing Queer Migration: Iranian Voices in Exile
No full textThis book retheorises queer identity formation processes of queer Iranians who have left Iran to escape persecution or discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, or sex characteristics (SOGIESC). The book contributes to postcolonial research on gender and sexuality, augments life histories of exile, explores trauma-based cultural politics, blends poetry with more traditional methods of social science analysis in a creative form of participatory research, and makes a nuanced contribution to emerging queer studies of migration, transnationalism and exile. In particular, the book explores the lived experiences of queer Iranians in exile, by enquiring: a) how migration from Iran to ‘the West’ affects the way queer Iranians in exile negotiate their sexual and gender identity; b) how some feel misrecognised, retraumatised, or silenced in that process, others are able to understand and articulate their identities in new ways, and most have both positive and negative experiences during their ‘journeys’; c) how queer Iranians in exile negotiate culturally specific categories such as ‘LGBTIQ+’ and how innovative/tactical/strategic they are in resisting processes of determination/subjugation. The book investigates the difficulties of cultural translation and the ways in which Iranian experiences are read through the prism of dominant Western signifiers. The book explores the experiences of queer Iranians in exile in three countries generally seen as being of transition, destination or resettlement, respectively Turkey, the UK and Canada, and relies on the analysis of 57 interviews and five poetry workshops, reflecting the strong artistic and folk traditions of poetry in Iran.</p
Concepts and Conceptual Engineering
No full textConceptual engineering is, prima facie, the engineering of concepts. But what are concepts? And in what sense, if any, can they be engineered? In this chapter I introduce conceptual engineering and then distinguish three different understandings of concepts. The first, prevalent in parts of cognitive science, is the psychological account, which sees concepts as psychologically real cognitive structures in individuals’ minds. The second, with historical connections to the pragmatism of Carnap, is the semantic account, which sees concepts as semantic meanings determined by conventional principles of use. The third, rooted in Frege’s rationalism and in anti-individualism, is the representationalist account, which sees concepts as publicly accessible components of thought, determined ultimately not by use but by direct relations between individuals and the world. Disagreements over the nature, target and possible implementation of conceptual engineering are, I will claim, ultimately grounded in the more fundamental disagreement over the nature of concepts.</p
Artificial intelligence in humanitarian aid: a review and future research agenda
No full textAs crises, both natural and man-made, continue to escalate in frequency and complexity, the need for effective and timely humanitarian interventions has become increasingly critical. Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a transformative tool in enhancing humanitarian aid, addressing all stages of the crisis management cycle. Despite growing interest in AI's application within the humanitarian field, the existing literature remains fragmented, with limited synthesis of its overall impact. This study adopts a systematic literature review approach to provide a comprehensive analysis of AI's utilization in humanitarian aid across the crisis cycle, as well as its role in broader humanitarian settings outside of immediate crisis contexts. Based on 60 selected studies, the findings reveal that AI applications in both the pre- and post-crisis phases can be grouped into four specific categories, and that AI's role in broader humanitarian contexts can similarly be divided into four focus areas. Specifically, the categories in the pre-crisis phase include site selection, medical services enhancement, early warning, and information flow, and the categories in the post-crisis phase include distribution and delivery, damage assessment, online and textual insights, and routing optimization. The review highlights AI's significant potential to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of humanitarian efforts, offering valuable insights for organizations seeking to harness AI's transformative power.</p